#yamdivad

Some of you know that I work in Strategic Marketing and Communications at Chapman University.  Prior to working under "University Advancement" I didn't donate to Chapman (even though I am an alum) but once I made the switch, I decided it was the right thing to do.

I had no idea I would actually enjoy donating, and here are three reasons why:

1) Even $5 Makes MY Degrees More Valuable

One of the ways US News and World Report ranks Universities is by the number of alumni who donate.  The size of the donations isn't as important as the number of supporters the University has.

Giving allows my alma mater to rise in the rankings, and that's a very good investment in my book.

Related Post: Donation Options for David's Birthday

2) Chapman Really Really Really Appreciates it

I didn't know how many hand-written notes and cards I have received from Chapman.  They do a wonderful job making you feel appreciated.

P.S. We have not even given that much!

3) Donations Help Students, & Mentorship is Fun.

This year we decided to donate a little more than usual and be part of a group called the Chapman50.  This group is dedicated to mentorship and networking for Chapman students and Chapman alumni.  I attended a tour of CBS Studios with Chapman alumnus Casey Kasprzyk, producer of the Emmy Award winning "Bold and the Beautiful."  There, I met a Chapman student who graduated from the same Colorado High School as I did.  She told me about her interest in Broadcast Journalism, and I immediately thought "maybe in the future I can introduce her to Ian Reitz (Chapman alumnus and Emmy award winner) or some of the other Chapman University folks I know in that industry.

It's those moments that remind you where your contributions go.  We see shiny new buildings and water fountains (all which attract students to our beautiful campus) and tend to think "my University has enough money.  They don't need mine."  That statement is a blog post of its own - private schools do need donations to survive, but I digress.

Giving isn't really about the money.  It's about investing in your community.  It's about showing US News and World Report who you support, and demonstrating to students that you will pay for and attend events if it means their future might be brighter.

+David May

The image associated with this post describes why I prefer emails to phone calls at work.  This is actual data representing the nature of my voicemails (so just the *unanswered calls) from July 2013.  88% (n~34) of the messages that I check are (to put it bluntly) a waste of time.  The 12% that are critical to my work are sprinkled between the SPAM and SCAMs.

If you need to contact me, it's best to email.  If you are a vendor, it's also best to email so I can quickly read your message and decide if I am interested.